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Pojo's Magic The Gathering
Card of the Day

Daily Since November 2001!

Archfiend of Ifnir
Image from Wizards.com

 Archfiend of Ifnir
- Amonkhet

Reviewed May 12, 2017

Constructed: 4.38
Casual: 4.88
Limited: 5.00
Multiplayer: 4.13
Commander [EDH]: 4.25

Ratings are based on a 1 to 5 scale:
1 - Horrible  3 - Average.  5 - Awesome

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Card of the Day Reviews 


David Fanany

Player since 1995

Archfiend of Ifnir (5/12)

 

This little demon isn't here to make friends, or something. It's an efficiently-costed flier (5 mana for a 5/4 is really good), and it has a brutal effect that synergizes well with the cycling and discard effects of the set. It even manages to never be a dead draw, thanks to a cheap cycling cost. It's a limited bomb, and I can see it doing well in Standard.

 

It even has a home in Modern, potentially, as part of Living End. It cycles cheaply and presents a massive threat on resolution, and it turns the other cycling cards in your hand into board devastation for your opponents. I think it's going to see a healthy amount of play, thanks to its powerful effects and confluence of attributes.

 

Constructed: 4.75

Casual: 4.75

Limited: 5

Multiplayer: 4.25

Commander: 4.5

James H. Archfiend of Ifnir
 
I can't help but think that Astral Slide and its related themes would have fit great in Amonkhet, especially seeing as this, like a lot of the cycling-matters cards, does a very similar trick involving keeping your opponent under control. The Archfiend, of course, also attacks and blocks with five power, so is never a truly useless card (so I don't want to hear about Lightning Rift's power level!). I'm also thinking of trying him out with something like Living End. Not only does the Archfiend itself have cycling, helping you set up its return on the one big turn, but it gives you something to do with any cycling cards you draw after the one big turn (assuming your opponent is still in the game, of course).
 
Constructed: 4/5
Casual: 5/5
Limited: 5/5
Multiplayer: 4/5
EDH/Commander: 4/5

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